Afternoon Tea
by Bronze Warlock
Summary: A Smithereens songfic, with non-romance angst


(Author's note: Square owns VIII, and The Smithereens own the song "Afternoon Tea." I just put them together for my own personal amusement.)  
  
Afternoon Tea  
  
Dollet was a quiet seaside town, home of the communications tower that used radio waves. The Galbadian Army had gotten the thing up and running again, but had abandoned it not long after. Since the fights between Sorceress-led Galbadia and the Garden-led SeeDs, Dollet had regained its independence, and tranquility had settled on the town like a comfortable blanket.  
It pissed Seifer Almasy off.  
Not the safety of the town...he wasn't exactly a popular guy, and Seifer knew that if he saw any of the SeeDs he knew, he'd have to leave again...it had happened in Esthar, in Deling City...hell, he'd been kicked out of the Shumi village. There weren't many places left for him to go, except Garden, and he couldn't bring himself to do that yet.  
No, what irked him most was the aloneness. The Posse had gone back to Garden, had tried to persuade him to come back, he'd told them in no uncertain terms that he'd rather not. "I'll burn in Hell first," was the phrase he'd used. It made him smile as he sat in the small café, watching the sun go down on yet another day.  
I could have been so much more than this, he thought for the thousandth time in as many days. And it's not even Squall I blame. He was right, and I knew it. Fujin was right, and I knew it. Maybe...I really am losing it.   
  
  
Afternoon tea for a party of one  
This is, for me, the extent of my fun  
Crying inside for a life thrown away  
I'm losing my mind in a silent way  
  
  
Seifer placed his cup back on the table in front of him. He'd quit drinking regular alcohol only a few days before, one of those rare people who could get completely smashed without feeling the nasty side effects. It dulled the pain, and there were times he felt he deserved to suffer. Seifer had become a regular customer at the Dollet Cafe, and when he first ordered a warm cup instead of a shot glass, the waiter had looked at as if he'd brought in a pet Geezard. Seifer had raised his eyebrow, and the waiter had disappeared, returning with a steaming cup of tea.  
Seifer smiled at the memory, still fresh. The fear on the man's face was almost funny. Almost...  
But now, all he had was memories of his posse...of Fujin. Seifer was furious with himself for losing everything he'd held dear. Angry at Hyne, angry at himself...angry at the thought that tomorrow, he'd do this exact same thing.  
  
Angry at God for what never should be  
Lovers and others, together...not me  
Take me away when I'm done with my  
Afternoon tea...  
  
Sunset was a nice time of day to sit and think. Not that Seifer had much choice in the matter. No prospects, no job, simply a get-up-go-kill-monsters-for-room-and-board deal with the hotel. If he ever managed to get some of the items that the local buggers carried, he would sell them at the Item Shop. Screws and steel pipes didn't get much money, but it was enough. Hardly a career choice, though. And if one of the beasts happened to get a lucky shot in, well...no one would be that broken up about it. Good Riddance to the Knight, they'd say.  
The loneliness didn't get to him as often anymore. His only friends had left him, and to no surprise, though it hurt to think that they now lived with and worked for his former rival. It wasn't quite how he'd planned everything. Still, he was the former Sorceress' Knight, and completely independent. He didn't need to answer to SeeD or Garden, and now, even the Sorceress had no power.   
I'm Seifer Almasy, former Knight, and I can handle anything.  
  
Afternoon tea as the sun fades away  
No future plans learn to live day to day  
One lonely man who is shunned and betrayed  
Telling myself that I'm strong, not afraid.  
  
Sometimes, he wondered how Rajin and Fujin were doing...had they made it into SeeD yet, was Fujin still pissed at him for being a bonehead, was Rajin still bearing the brunt of her wrath...was Squall making their life miserable for their association with him...were they better off now that he was out of their lives?  
The thought stopped Seifer in mid-sip, the sadness caused by bitterness and rejection plain in his eyes, had anyone cared to look.  
  
What have I done to deserve such disgrace?  
Look carefully and you'll see on my face.  
  
Angry At God for what never should be  
Lovers and others, together, not me  
Take me away when I'm done with my  
Afternoon Tea  
  



End file.
